Speeches by Stafford.

“I want to address this clause because I believe that the Government are making a significant mistake by abolishing Healthwatch England, as they have just done with the group of amendments, and local healthwatch organisations. The Government have sought to reassure the Committee that the functions currently carried out …”

“Obviously, I have sympathy for what the hon. Member is trying to achieve—ensuring that our data systems are free from potential hacking by either state or non-state actors is very important—but I cannot see anything in new clause 4 about the size of contracts. Does his suggestion relate to any contract, however small, …”

“He then explained how that work is undertaken, saying that”

“Such evidence is particularly important because it comes from the organisations that will inherit those responsibilities should the Bill proceed. Far from arguing that independence is unnecessary, they describe it as essential to the effectiveness of the existing arrangements. Surrey county council also highlighted ano…”

“Indeed, Professor Croisdale-Appleby’s evidence exposes what I regard as the principal weakness in the Government’s case. If Healthwatch exists to hold organisations to account, how can that responsibility be transferred to the very organisations being held to account? That is not a political question but a structural o…”

“Professor Croisdale-Appleby challenged another important assumption underpinning Dr Dash’s recommendations. Dr Dash argued that patient engagement functions could largely be absorbed into NHS organisations. Professor Croisdale-Appleby explained why meaningful engagement is considerably more demanding than that descript…”

“That is not simply an historical observation; it reflects Parliament’s long-standing judgment that patients should have access to an advocate who is institutionally separate from those providing and commissioning care.”

“I found that one of the most important pieces of evidence heard during our proceedings. It defines the distinction between engagement and accountability. Engagement teams collect views; Healthwatch collects evidence, investigates concerns, challenges organisations, follows up recommendations and persists until action h…”

““it is about independence and holding organisations to account...we are not only the ears of the patient and the carer; at times, we hold feet to the flames over whether something sensible is being done. We do not give up on this; we pursue it down the rabbit hole.”––[Official Report, Health Public Bill Committee, 16 J…”

“Professor Croisdale-Appleby also explained why Healthwatch cannot be understood simply as another engagement function. He told us:”

“My hon. Friend makes several key points, and he is absolutely right: what problem are the Government trying to solve here? If we believe in independence, believe in an investigatory body and believe it is working well—and it demonstrably is working well—why on earth would we change it? That goes to a further point: the…”

“not simply a patient voice, but a truly independent voice. She went on to warn:”

““we need a truly independent patient voice”—”

“I come back to the central question: who performs that role if Healthwatch disappears? Will integrated care boards publish reports criticising their own decisions? Will they systematically monitor whether recommendations directed at them have been implemented? Will they publicly report on the effectiveness of their own…”

““can he reassure the House that bringing the scrutiny of local voices up to the level of the Secretary of State will not diminish the independence of the local healthwatch organisations that…do so much to promote the patient voice and to hold the NHS to account for its services?”—[Official Report, 1 June 2026; Vol. 786…”

“The question of independence was reinforced by Sarah Tilsed, speaking on behalf of the Patients Association. Her evidence was notable because it came from an organisation whose sole concern is the interests of patients, rather than the preservation of any particular institutional structure. She told the Committee:”

“The evidence presented to this Committee points consistently in the opposite direction. Witness after witness argued that Healthwatch’s effectiveness derives precisely from the fact that it sits outside the organisations whose decisions it scrutinises. That institutional separation is not an administrative inconvenienc…”

“That was a perfectly reasonable question, but the Secretary of State did not explain how independence will be preserved. Instead, he returned to the argument that patient voices will be brought closer to those planning and delivering services. Again, that is a different proposition. Closer does not mean more independen…”

“That evidence is significant because it changes the diagnosis. The Government appear to argue that variation demonstrates a flaw in the Healthwatch model itself. Professor Croisdale-Appleby suggested something rather different: that much of the variation is the predictable consequence of unequal investment. He went on …”

“During our evidence session, my hon. Friend the Member for Sleaford and North Hykeham asked Dr Dash directly about the obvious conflict created by merging HSSIB into CQC. Dr Dash’s response was strikingly brief. She said,”